


Wrong Place at the Wrong Time

by ToothpasteDragon



Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen, Mentions of Blood, Snatcher is a vampire so...yeah, Themes related to vampires, monster au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 16:48:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30041751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToothpasteDragon/pseuds/ToothpasteDragon
Summary: Following the sudden death of her parents, Hat Kid is taken under the care of her Aunt Cookie. Little does she know her new home is full ofmonsters.When the carelessness of the apartment’s most reclusive resident exposes his true identity, he fears the worst. Cookie’s niece may never see him the same way again…simply because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Relationships: Hat Kid & Snatcher (A Hat in Time)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15
Collections: A Hat in Time AU Ficlets





	Wrong Place at the Wrong Time

**Author's Note:**

> If you were involved in the Hat in Time tumblr fandom back in 2019, you might recognize this piece! It was originally submitted to the blog teenytinyhatkid and is based on the Monster AU created by the blog’s owner, [MonsterMonsoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonsterMonsoon/pseuds/MonsterMonsoon). The blog has since been deemed inactive and no additional content is being produced. But I still like this piece, so I figured I’d post it here at the very least. Enjoy!

Snatcher couldn’t wait any longer. He knew it was unwise to feed during the day, slinking through shadows just to keep the sun off his back, but he was desperate. Had he remained in the apartment for another minute, he’d risk the safety of his housemates. He couldn’t bear to live with himself knowing their injuries were the result of his constant preternatural cravings. They were like family. They were too important.

So here he was, draining the blood of a mafia lackey in a dark alley. Certainly not the most elegant of situations.

The unsuspecting victim had followed a series of strange noises and taunts into the secluded area, before Snatcher bit down _hard_ into the man’s neck. He knew this meal wouldn’t satisfy his intense hunger, but it would be enough to hold him over for a little while. He hoped. 

A few minutes passed. The lackey, who was slumped against a wooden box in a state of unconsciousness, had blood stains all over his shirt and apron. Snatcher despised his own sloppy handiwork, but he was too preoccupied to worry about cleanliness.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared. Snatcher looked up to see the silhouette of a child standing at the entrance of the alleyway, and momentarily panicked. Having neglected to feed for so long, the possibility of witnesses slipped his mind. Luckily, it was only a kid. While the unfortunate soul might be scarred for life, people were more likely to disregard the supposed ‘encounter with a vampire’ as a product of an overactive imagination.

As his eyes adjusted to the light, however, Snatcher’s panic turned to horror. He recognized that top hat. The child was none other than Cookie’s niece, Hat Kid. And her eyes were wide with fear.

What an introduction.

 _Idiot_ , he mentally scolded himself. Hat Kid enjoyed taking this route on her walk home from school, the dockside scenery too beautiful to pass up. Of all the people that could’ve stumbled upon this frightening scene, it just _had_ to be her.

“…Snatcher?” The girl looked between her guardian and the bloodied victim, the gears turning in her head. She held onto the straps of her backpack for dear life, tighter, _tighter_. She was visibly trembling.

Snatcher immediately stopped feeding and jumped up from his crouched position, raising his hands as a sign of surrender. What he thought might calm the child promptly backfired, as he realized too late that his blood-covered talons were on display for her to see. This really wasn’t going well.

“Heya kid,” he soothed, lowering his hands and inching away from the motionless body. He wore a nervous smile. “So, this is gonna sound really weird, but there’s a perfectly logical explanation-”

“Please…please don’t eat me,” Hat Kid whimpered. Her eyes were wet with tears.

Snatcher flinched. The fact that Hat Kid would even _suggest_ such a thing – it broke his heart. Since the day she arrived at the apartment, bandaged and bruised from the car crash that took her parents’ lives, Snatcher had vowed never to feed on the girl. She was so young, and so very, very alone. So he kept his distance, lest he develop an appetite for something sweet. 

Despite his best efforts, Snatcher grew close to the energetic and optimistic little nuisance. He humored her, at first, playing along with her make-believe games and laughing at her lame jokes. But as time went on, he genuinely enjoyed her presence. Her smile was enough to brighten even the darkest recesses of his hollow shell. Besides, they were a great pranking team.

He still didn’t understand why she clung to him, of all people. Cookie, the Conductor, Grooves – they were all more lively and entertaining (not to mention better role models). They had steady jobs, consistent sleep schedules, experience with children. And yet she chose him.

So he watched over her. Protected her. Made sure no one put her in harm’s way. Including himself.

“Kiddo,” Snatcher whispered with a smirk, “do you really think I’d eat my BFF?”

To his relief, the girl shook her head. But he could hear her heartbeat. It was like a rabbit’s, thumping faster and faster in the face of danger. She didn’t feel safe.

 _No kidding_ , Snatcher mused. _I’m covered in blood and there’s an unconscious man lying on the ground_.

It was in that moment Snatcher heard far-off footsteps approaching the alleyway, accompanied by a chorus of gruff voices. It was the mafia. And they had grown suspicious.

Snatcher and Hat Kid were in a pickle. They had to get out of there, and _fast_. If they split up, with Snatcher traversing shady alleyways and Hat Kid running along the boardwalk, there was no guarantee she’d make it home safely. The mafia might target her instead, or mistake her for that red-hooded brat. Snatcher didn’t like to imagine what they’d do to the little girl who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. But if they stayed together, they were bound to raise some red flags. It wasn’t everyday you saw a bloody man holding hands with a small child.

Snatcher reasoned that Hat Kid was less likely to get hurt if she was under his care. He decided against the first option.

“Listen, we gotta skedaddle,” he said, taking action. The vampire wiped away blood from his mouth and dried his hands on his shirt, making a mental note to add ‘bleach’ to Cookie’s shopping list. He was absolutely filthy. “I’ve seen those mafia numskulls when they’re angry, and let me tell you, it’s _not_ a pretty sight.”

Without thinking, Snatcher stepped toward the girl and reached for her hand, but she quickly recoiled from his touch. Blinking in surprise, he felt a pang of guilt. She was still terrified of him.

Snatcher’s gaze softened and he exhaled, bending down on one knee so they were face to face.

“Look kid, I’m…really sorry you had to see me like this. I wanted to tell you eventually, but I didn’t want you to be afraid of me. Seems it’s a little too late for that, huh?” He broke eye contact and chuckled, but his smile faded just as quickly as it had appeared. “What happened here today – I’m sure it makes me look like some sort of…of…”

“Monster.”

Snatcher’s eyebrows shot up upon hearing such an unexpected response. The girl’s voice was not filled with anger or annoyance or distress, rather something along the lines of compassion or sympathy. But she was right.

He smiled weakly. “Yeah, kiddo. A monster.”

The footsteps were getting closer.

“But I want you to know that I would never _ever_ hurt you, or your Aunt Cookie, or Grooves.” A sly grin spread across his face. “As for the Conductor, well…that’s debatable.”

Snatcher breathed a sigh of relief when Hat Kid giggled softly. 

“We can’t stay here, though, or the mafia will find us.” He stood up and reached his full height, offering the girl a bloody hand. “I’m still me. And everything’s gonna be fine. Just…trust me, okay?”

The girl stared at Snatcher, almost as if she was studying him closely. _Come on, kid_. He didn’t have the patience for this, and the mafia was fast approaching, but he didn’t want to scare her away. So he waited.

Her heartbeat finally slowed to a normal pace. He would never admit it, but Snatcher was comforted by this quiet gesture.

Hat Kid took his hand. “Let’s go.”

* * * * * 

Following a series of twists and turns across town, Snatcher and Hat Kid desperately tried to shake their pursuers, but with no success. To make matters worse, a few bystanders had seen them and cried out in fear. It seemed they were attracting a lot of unwanted attention.

Hat Kid was beginning to tire as well. Eventually, Snatcher scooped her into his arms and carried her as he ran. But he couldn’t run forever.

In the end, Snatcher removed a manhole cover and they descended into the sewer to take refuge from the mafia. 

It wasn’t ideal (Cookie was going to _kill_ him for dragging her precious niece into the unsanitary sewage system), but Snatcher knew the underground well. How else would he evade the sun’s deadly rays during the daytime?

From within her guardian’s embrace, Hat Kid couldn’t see anything. The sewer was dark and damp and filled with all sorts of sounds. Some of them familiar. Others, eerily unfamiliar.

She was scared. But she found solace in Snatcher’s steady footfalls.

Snatcher could see perfectly in the dark tunnels and carefully led them to safety. He was still breathing heavily from all that running, each breath a reminder that he was never going to do anything like that _ever_ again, and he felt like taking a thousand-year-long nap. But he needed to stay focused. He was carrying precious cargo, after all.

They had been walking in silence for a few minutes, the craziness of the day finally catching up to them, the vast expanse of the sewer system seemingly endless. Finally, Hat Kid spoke up.

“Are we getting close?”

Snatcher hummed in reply. “Just a little bit farther. Hang in there, kiddo.”

Hat Kid fiddled with the purple fabric of Snatcher’s shirt as she listened to the reverberations throughout the tunnel, each echo bouncing from one wall to the next. Suddenly, there was a roar of cars from above. They must have been under a busy road.

The silence returned. In response, the girl offered a question.

“Will he be okay?”

“Who?” 

“The guy in the alley. You know…the one you bit,” she tentatively whispered.

“He’ll be fine. I only drank a portion of his blood.”

The girl nodded and shifted uncomfortably. _Gross_. Snatcher made it seem like it wasn’t a big deal, so maybe it wasn’t. She closed her eyes in thought.

Softly, she asked her guardian, “Will you be okay?”

The question caught the vampire off guard. Hat Kid was always full of surprises. He smiled, ruffling the little bit of hair poking out of her top hat.

“Yeah. I’ll be okay, kid.”


End file.
